The Infinix Note 30 5G has entered the market at a time when 5G is becoming increasingly accessible in India. Infinix has made a strategic decision to equip this device with 5G connectivity, ensuring it stays competitive in a market crowded with similar offerings, such as the Realme C55. But the Note 30 5G doesn’t stop at 5G. It boasts a new MediaTek SoC and features rarely seen at this price point. The question is: Has Infinix finally resolved its long-standing software issues with the Note 30 5G? Let’s dive in and find out.
Infinix Note 30 5G Price in India
Infinix offers the Note 30 5G in two configurations for the Indian market. The base model, featuring 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, is priced at Rs. 14,999. For Rs. 1,000 more, you can opt for the higher-end variant, boasting 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. This extra investment seems worthwhile, considering the significant boost in RAM and storage for a minimal price difference.
The phone comes in three stylish colors: Magic Black, Interstellar Blue, and Magic Gold. The Magic Gold option features a unique orange shade and a soft-touch vegan leather rear panel. For my review, I received the Magic Black variant, which sports a matte finish.
Infinix Note 30 5G Design
The Infinix Note 30 5G builds upon the brand’s Note series legacy, but it’s a standalone product rather than a successor to any existing model. Design-wise, Infinix has taken the right approach by incorporating a practical matte finish on the back panel and a reflective finish for the frame. This combination effectively prevents smudges on the rear while ensuring a comfortable grip for this large device.
The Magic Black finish of the Infinix Note 30 5G boasts a matte-finished polycarbonate rear panel.
The phone is undeniably large, potentially posing a challenge for those with medium or small hands. It’s comparable in footprint to the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, though thankfully not as heavy, tipping the scales at 204g.
The use of polycarbonate for the frame and rear panel was a clever decision by Infinix, as the large 5,000mAh battery would have further increased the weight, making the phone feel bulky.
To my surprise, the Note 30 5G carries an IP53 rating, providing basic dust and water resistance. While not the most robust IP rating, it’s a welcome feature, offering users some peace of mind.
The slightly boxy design results in noticeable bezels around the display, particularly the one at the bottom. The display features a hole-punch cutout for the selfie camera and is protected by NEG glass for scratch resistance. During my review, I found the display to be relatively smudge and dust-resistant. Infinix includes a tempered glass screen protector in the box for users seeking even more protection.
Infinix Note 30 5G Specifications and Software
The Infinix Note 30 5G is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6080 SoC, a new chipset released in March of this year. Despite its name, which may suggest a high-end chip, it’s still categorized as a budget SoC. The advantage of this chipset lies in its 5G connectivity, supporting 14 5G bands. Beyond 5G, the phone incorporates various communication standards such as Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth, NFC, and support for common satellite systems.
The Infinix Note 30 5G’s design, while modern, feels quite large and chunky.
The Infinix Note 30 5G features stereo speakers tuned by JBL and retains a 3.5mm headphone jack. The SIM card tray provides three slots: two for nano-SIM cards and a dedicated slot for a microSD card (up to 2TB). The substantial 5,000mAh battery benefits from a 45W charger included in the box. The package also contains a TPU case and a Type-A to Type-C cable.
While the hardware specs are impressive, the phone’s software experience leaves room for improvement. It runs XOS version 13, based on Android 13, but its appearance and functionality are a stark departure from the familiar Android experience.
You’ll find a homescreen and an app drawer, along with a wide selection of widgets. There’s also a useful Suggestions widget displaying frequently used apps. However, the overall design is heavily themed, potentially jarring for users accustomed to leaner skins or near-stock Android software.
Swiping right to access the Google Discover feed reveals a Zero Screen, showcasing information like workout data and phone usage instead. Reaching the Discover feed from the homescreen requires tapping the ‘G’ logo in the Google Search widget, which essentially launches the Google app. Within the Settings app, the Battery section is oddly named Marathon Power.
Infinix’s XOS 13 software comes pre-loaded with a significant amount of bloatware and third-party apps.
The camera app’s interface is best described as overwhelming due to its carousel packed with various options. The standard camera mode is labeled AI Cam, but an AI button on the left side enables the device’s AI scene recognition. There are separate Beauty and Portrait shooting modes. I found this useful as it eliminated the need to disable beautification effects in Portrait mode, a preference for some. A video mode (simply called "video") is available, accompanied by a Film mode for adding video effects.
Infinix’s AI-powered assistant, Folax, proves helpful for straightforward commands like enabling Bluetooth or weather queries. However, it primarily relies on Google searches (via a browser page) for slightly complex requests. Unfortunately, the much talked about ChatGPT integration was not available on my review unit.
Beyond these features, the Infinix Note 30 5G comes preloaded with a plethora of bloatware apps: XClub, WeZone, XShare Mini, Visha Player, Carlcare, Aha Games, all of which are unremovable. Additionally, third-party apps like Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, WPS Office, Spotify, Snapchat, JioCinema, and Nojoto are thankfully uninstallble. Despite the abundance of apps, I didn’t encounter any spammy notifications during the review period.
XOS also offers some positive features, such as the ability to reply to notifications within floating windows, a notification sound when the battery is fully charged, bypass charging while gaming, and a game anti-addiction mode for those who overindulge. You can also adjust swipe and motion speeds for personalized interaction with the software interface.
Infinix Note 30 5G Performance
The Infinix Note 30 5G’s 6.78-inch 120Hz full-HD+ IPS LCD produces vibrant colors at its default settings. Enabling the Original color style yields a slightly bluish tone. While the brightness is sufficient indoors, it struggled outdoors and appeared dim under direct sunlight, hindering usability for photo-taking or content viewing.
Viewing content indoors was an enjoyable experience, as the phone boasts Widevine L1 certification, allowing for full-HD+ quality streaming.
The display’s refresh rate is adaptive, switching between 120Hz and 60Hz when set to auto. However, I preferred locking it to 120Hz as some apps experienced glitches or stuttering scrolling. Forcing the display to 120Hz resulted in a smoother visual experience. This stuttering was mainly noticeable in various third-party apps.
Benchmark results for the Infinix Note 30 5G are as follows: 4,01,814 points in AnTuTu (v10), 767 and 2,061 in Geekbench’s single and multi-score tests respectively. On the graphics front, the phone achieved 12fps, 22fps, and 55fps in GFXBench’s Car Chase, Manhattan 3.1, and T-Rex test suites. These scores fall slightly below the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite, which is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC at a higher price point.
The Infinix Note 30 5G boasts three rear cameras, but only one is readily accessible.
Gaming performance on the Infinix Note 30 5G was impressive. It remained cool even during extended gaming sessions. I tested Asphalt 9: Legends, which ran smoothly (though lacking a 60fps mode) at the High Quality graphics setting. Call of Duty: Mobile was playable but capped at Medium graphics and High framerate settings. The 240Hz touch sampling rate felt insufficient during Call of Duty: Mobile gameplay, struggling to keep up with swift swipes. Audio quality from the JBL-tuned speakers was surprisingly good, delivering loud and clear sound.
Battery life, powered by the large 5,000mAh battery, typically lasted just over a day with casual usage, with the display set to 120Hz. Our standard battery life test produced average results, running for 13 hours and 5 minutes. Honestly, I expected better battery performance from the Note 30 5G.
Charging, however, was commendable for a budget smartphone. Using the bundled charger, the phone went from zero to 68 percent in 30 minutes and fully charged in just 53 minutes, which is quite impressive. The phone also incorporates a bypass charging feature, directly supplying power to the phone without charging the battery when plugged in. This minimizes heat generation and keeps the phone cool, proving useful during gaming sessions.
Infinix Note 30 5G Cameras
The Infinix Note 30 5G houses three cameras on the rear, but only one is accessible to users. There’s a 108-megapixel primary camera, a 2-megapixel depth sensor, and a third AI camera. Selfies are captured by a 16-megapixel front-facing camera.
In daylight conditions, the main camera produced crisp photos with good details. Dynamic range was decent but not exceptional, as I noticed clipped highlights in bright areas of some images. Colors were slightly oversaturated, so I preferred disabling the AI scene recognition feature. While the camera lacks a macro mode, close-ups of objects exhibited good detail and vibrant colors.
Infinix Note 30 5G daylight camera samples (Top to bottom: Selfie Portrait mode, Main camera close-up, Main camera landscape)
In low light scenarios, the primary camera produced photos of average quality with decent dynamic range and a similar color saturation observed in daylight shots. Details were somewhat lacking, and I noticed clipped highlights near bright light sources and dark patches in shadows.
Enabling the dedicated Night mode enhanced image quality, leading to improved dynamic range, detail, and sharpness. However, this primarily applied to street-lit scenes or those with ample illumination. Using Night mode in dimly lit areas didn’t yield satisfactory results, producing flat textures that appeared like paintings upon zooming in.
Selfies captured in daylight were decent at best, lacking detailed and dynamic range. Edge detection in Portrait mode was far from accurate, resulting in uninspiring results. In low light, selfies exhibited average detail and appeared somewhat soft. Night mode could be used for selfies but resulted in oversharpening, without adding any significant detail.
Infinix Note 30 5G low light camera samples (Top: Auto mode, bottom: Night mode)
Videos recorded at 1080p 30fps exhibited average detail but appeared shaky. Activating the Ultra-video stabilisation mode significantly improved quality. Unfortunately, the camera’s maximum video recording resolution is a peculiar 2K. The electronic stabilisation feature is limited to 1080p 30fps, even though the phone can shoot at 1080p 60fps, making it the best quality you can achieve. Videos captured at 1080p 30fps in low light were shaky and appeared mediocre in terms of quality.
Verdict
Infinix has done an excellent job balancing the hardware specifications of the Note 30 5G with performance and exceptional value. However, the phone falls short of expectations in certain areas. While the display’s slightly weak legibility outdoors isn’t a major issue, the cumbersome software experience could be a significant drawback.
Despite these shortcomings, the phone offers excellent value in terms of features and price. From 5G connectivity, stereo speakers, and an IP53 rating to 45W fast charging, it boasts a compelling combination of features that are currently difficult to find in other smartphones within this segment.
If you are willing to invest time in mastering the software’s somewhat convoluted layout and can tolerate the bloatware, the Infinix Note 30 5G presents a decent 5G option within this price range. Alternatively, if you prioritize a slimmer smartphone with an OLED display or a cleaner software experience, the Moto G73 5G might be a better choice for some, especially now that its price has dropped.
